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Don’t worry! A broken trust can be fixed There are good reasons why estate planning advisors recommend you revisit and, if necessary, revise your estate plan periodically: changing circumstances, including family situations and new tax laws. While it’s relatively simple to change a beneficiary, what if an irrevocable trust no longer serves your purposes? Depending […]

The net investment income tax is alive and well: How it can affect your estate plan The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduced individual income tax rates, but it left the 3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT) in place. It’s important to address the NIIT in your estate plan, because it can erode your

Obtaining an Immigration Work Permit: Application for Employment Authorization Document (Form I-765) Being in the United States legally does not necessarily mean that you are authorized to work. As most know, working in the United States without a legal work permit is taken very serious. If you are currently in the process of obtaining a

BDIT lets you give away property without losing control By temporarily doubling the gift and estate tax exemption, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) opened a window of opportunity for affluent families to transfer assets tax-free. To take advantage of the higher exemption amount, many families that own businesses or other assets worth more

Flex plan: In an unpredictable estate planning environment, flexibility is key The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made only one change to the federal gift and estate tax regime, but it was a big one. It more than doubled the combined gift and estate tax exemption, as well as the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax

Parental priorities: How to choose a tutor for your child If you have minor children, arguably the most important estate planning decision you need to make is choosing a tutor (referred to as a “guardian” outside Louisiana) for them should the unthinkable occur. If you haven’t yet made this decision, formalize your choice as soon

Have you considered making direct payments of tuition and medical expenses? With the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption at $11.40 million for 2019 ($11.58 million for 2020), you may think you don’t have to worry about gift and estate taxes. However, there are no guarantees that estate tax law won’t be revised in the

3 pitfalls to avoid when naming a beneficiary of a life insurance policy Life insurance can be a powerful financial and estate planning tool, but its benefits can be reduced or even eliminated if you designate the wrong beneficiary or fail to change beneficiaries when your circumstances change. Common pitfalls to avoid include: Naming your

IRS confirms large gifts now won’t hurt post-2025 estates The IRS has issued final regulations that should provide comfort to taxpayers interested in making large gifts under the current gift and estate tax regime. The final regs generally adopt, with some revisions, proposed regs that the IRS released in November 2018. The need for clarification

Qualified Opportunity Funds: A new weapon in the estate planning arsenal The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created a new program to encourage investment in economically distressed areas through generous tax incentives. The Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program relies on investments in Qualified Opportunity Funds (QOFs) — funds that can provide wealthy taxpayers with some